The first day of school, especially kindergarten, can be difficult for young children. Many times they're afraid to be separated from their parents for an extended period. When my son went off to kindergarten, here's what helped us with the transition: We went through our family pictures.

My son picked out his favorite one, which was taken when we went to the zoo. He was so excited to take our family to school with him, and this gave him confidence that he was not alone. The picture (shown) stayed in his backpack well beyond kindergarten, which shows how much he valued it!